From the Deputy Principal

Growing character through service at MLC School

At MLC School, community service is a living expression of who we are as a community and of the Uniting Church values we seek to embody each day. Our girls are encouraged to look beyond themselves, to notice the needs of others, and to respond with courage, compassion and purpose. Through these opportunities, students learn that making a difference does not begin one day in the future; it begins now, in the choices they make, the relationships they build, and the care they show for the world around them. This spirit of service is one of the many things that makes an MLC School education so rich and deeply human.

Our service strategy helps students move from awareness to action, and from action to character formation. We want girls to understand the issues facing individuals and communities, to engage in service that is relational, respectful and sustained, and to reflect on those experiences so that service becomes part of how they see themselves as people of integrity and contributors to the common good. This work is being strengthened through refreshed leadership of our service programs, with Pastor Luisa Bland appointed as Service Learning Coordinator, supported by Director of Experiential Learning Sarah Jauncey. In this way, service at MLC School is a visible and valued part of an education that forms thoughtful, capable young women ready to lead with heart and purpose.

These opportunities take many forms across the life of the School and reflect the generosity, energy and compassion of our students. Girls serve through outreach, advocacy, partnerships with community organisations and student-led initiatives that invite them to bring others with them in a shared sense of purpose. Across the years, service is both practical and relational, helping students grow in understanding as well as action.

Across the Senior School, students can participate in lunchtime clubs and service initiatives that invite them to serve with generosity and purpose. Hands-on projects such as loom-knitting hats for people experiencing homelessness remind students that even simple acts of care can carry extraordinary meaning. Through Days for Girls, students engage with global issues by creating sustainable period products for girls around the world experiencing period poverty, helping them understand that service can be innovative, practical and justice focused.

From Year 6, our girls visit Locke Haven, where they spend time with elderly residents through conversation, shared activities and simple acts of companionship. These visits help students appreciate the importance of presence, attentiveness and intergenerational connection, while also building their confidence in relating warmly and respectfully to others.

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In Year 7, students will be invited to participate in a meaningful service-learning experience connected to their Religious Education unit on stewardship of the environment. As part of this learning, students will move beyond classroom theory into lived practice, engaging in service that contributes positively to the environment and the wider community.

In Year 8, students participate in Neighbourhood Aid’s Stronger Together program, where they engage with elderly members of the community through meaningful, relationship‑centred activities. This program provides students with the opportunity to connect across generations, fostering a deeper understanding of compassion, dignity, and belonging.

In Year 9, students serve at the Loaves and Fishes Exodus Restaurant, where they contribute in practical ways while learning more about the experiences of people facing hardship. This opportunity helps students understand the importance of dignity, hospitality and respectful service, and reinforces the value of meeting others with compassion and humility.

In Year 10, we are establishing a partnership with Lucas Gardens, a learning centre that supports students with intellectual and physical disabilities. As part of this collaboration, our students will contribute to the centre’s social program, building relationships, promoting inclusion, and participating in meaningful, reciprocal learning.

Our involvement in the Sony Foundation Children’s Holiday Camp is another particularly special expression of service and a pinnacle of service learning at MLC School. Through this program, Year 11 students help create joyful, inclusive experiences for children with disability while also providing valuable respite for their families. In doing so, they learn about empathy, patience, responsibility and the dignity of every individual.

Together, these experiences shape girls who understand that service is both practical and personal. They learn empathy by listening carefully, humility by serving respectfully, resilience by stepping beyond their comfort zone, and moral courage by choosing to act when action requires effort and persistence. Over time, service helps form young women who are not only capable, but compassionate; not only confident but deeply connected to the communities of which they are a part.

This work is closely aligned with the MLC School 2025–2027 Strategy, which places the MLC School girl at the heart of everything we do and commits the School to cultivating students who are connected, compassionate and courageous. The strategy affirms the importance of nurturing each girl’s spiritual life, underpinned by Christian values and a commitment to service, justice and compassion towards others, while also providing rich co-curricular and service opportunities that foster belonging and connectedness. As a Uniting Church school, MLC School’s approach to service is strengthened through connections with Uniting Church organisations, helping students experience service not only as generosity, but as a lived expression of faith, justice and community. In this way, service brings our mission, values and graduate attributes to life.

In a world that needs wise, generous and principled leadership, community service remains a deeply valued part of an MLC School education. It teaches our girls that character is formed not only in the classroom, but also in how they respond to others with kindness, conviction and care. As students serve, reflect and lead, they come to understand that they can make a genuine difference now. In true Lucis spirit, they learn to walk in the light and to use that light in service of others.

– Melissa Boyd
Deputy Principal